beernose

Something from the Twist books that has always stuck with me: If you are mid-corner, and you judge that you're going too fast, there is NO GOOD that can come from chopping the throttle. If you're truly too fast, chopping throttle WILL overload the front tire and CAUSE it to slide. If you think you're too hot mid-corner: 1) FREEZE the throttle (at maintenance throttle) 2) LOOK where you need to go (apex, exit, avoiding road kill, wherever....NOT the outer edge of the road) 3) STEER/LEAN the bike - If you really think you've bit off more than you can chew on this corner, get yer body leaned further so the bike doesn't have to lean as far. 4) TRUST the tires. This has saved my bacon multiple times on unfamiliar roads. Truth is, you shouldn't be riding that close to the limit on public roads. But ANYONE who has taken to 2 wheels remembers a few corners that surprised them. Keith's advice on controlling SR's (Survival Reactions) buys you a little more cushion the next time you get surprised.

This same advice applies to getting caught in the rain (or when forced to ride a full day in the rain). In fall 2008, a friend had travelled from several states away for a tuneup and a weekend of riding. Our luck wasn't good and we found ourselves in the middle of a 5 day steady rain. Undeterred by the rain, we committed to our trip. The trip included several winding roads. Using Keith's practiced methods of throttle control to overcome my SR's (I'd been practicing them for last 2 years), I settled into a comfortable & safe pace. I soon noted that my friend had fallen well behind so I waited for him at the next stop sign. After confirming that everything was OK, we continued. On the next corner, I checked my mirrors on exit to be sure my friend was OK and got a glimpse of him with his feet down and deliberately driving into the oncoming lane of traffic. Alarm bells. I pulled over immediately to have a talk. His claim was that he was losing the front end (at some relatively slow speeds on decent asphalt). The two of us had the same model of tire (his had only 1000 miles while mine had almost 8000). His motorcycle was a lighter 600 while mine is a heavier 900. He shouldn't be losing the front end. After a little Q&A, I discovered that he was coming through the corner, unsure, and then when he was mentally convinced that the bike wouldn't take any more lean without sliding, he chopped the throttle, and ....the front tire slid. I also determined he was chopping the throttle in 1st gear so there was significant weight transfer. A quick discussion of weight transfer and how SR's were going to potentially kill him, he needed a bit more convincing so I demonstrated the method both on my bike and then on his bike while he stood at the corner and watched/listened to the method. We got on our way again and stopped for lunch an hour later. He was simply amazed at the confidence he began to acquire with a little (low speed) practice of fighting his SR's. As a result, he never lost traction again for the rest of the day, and never fell behind. Mother nature finally smiled and we were graced with dry roads for the last 3 hours of that day's riding.